Staying conscious kept Jaimie Cates alive

NASHUA – Somehow Jaimie Cates kept a hold on consciousness after she was attacked.

If not, the pressure created in her chest from a punctured lung would likely have pushed her heart to the other side of her chest; it would have stopped beating and she would have died.

That was part of the information given Wednesday morning by testimony from Dr. David Mooney, a surgeon and director of the Boston Children’s Hospital trauma program, who went through a number of photograph’s a Jaimie Cates’ injuries. He said one of her life-threatening injuries was the punctured lung, which could have killed her if she hadn’t been able to call 911 for help.

New Hampshire State Police Trooper Jeff Ladieu, a member of the NHSP Major Crime Unit, is now going through photos of the Cates home that police took during their investigation.